“13 All these great people died in faith. They did not get the things that God promised his people, but they saw them coming far in the future and were glad. They said they were like visitors and strangers on earth.14 When people say such things, they show they are looking for a country that will be their own.15 If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they could have gone back.16 But they were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.” – Hebrews 11:13-16 (NCV)
My son got sick since Tuesday. Typical. Seasonal allergy that bogged him down when the Santa Ana winds visited the canyon passes and the valleys, accompanied with the dropping humidity. From what we learned from his past seasonal attacks, he learned well to prepare well-ahead by trying to increase his fluid intake as he could tolerate and by taking his organic allergy pills.
“Rest! As soon as you get done studying,” I cautioned as the clock almost hit 10:30 p.m.. It was not his fault. He had been taking advanced classes that required a lot of studying and perseverance on his part. He always tried his best to finish everything on time, sometimes, ahead of time.
I slowly pushed the door to his bedroom quietly when I heard him coughed a little bit in the middle of the night.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m fine,” he sleepily replied.
As a watchful mother, you could not help but notice everything even in the dark slightly illuminated by the nightlight in one corner of his room.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed in my mind. As my son went back to sleep, I noticed how much he had grown and did not really fit right on the length of his bed anymore. Either he bent his knees to be accommodated by the warmth of his bed or he must had learned to lie down on a slanting position on his back so his legs could fit and not hit the bars at both ends of his day bed. Yes…unconsciously. But…He never complained to me or my husband nor had asked if he could get another bed.
“Please get the bed today!” I requested my husband and thanks be to God that it happened to be yesterday, Saturday, when he was off from work and could make that run.
My patient and always supportive husband took his time to go to a far store to get the bed for our son and when he got home, patiently assembled the parts.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked my son as I covered him with a lighter blanket last night.
“Thanks, Mom and Dad…Ahhh…It feels so good,” he replied. “I could stretch my legs now.”
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| my son's new bed |
I kissed his head and softly caressed his hair. I always learned something from my son. From his discomfort, he taught me how it should be in this life’s journey: to never complain and just keep pressing on because we all long for that rest. Eternal rest that the Lord provides to those who truly love and obey Him. He is our watchful Father Who always wants the best for us. Eternal Father Who loves us all first.
“Thank You Lord for everything…” I whispered as I made my way back to my bed carefully, finding my old steps aided with scattered night lights. I glanced at the stars through the windows, visible and so beautiful up on the dark skies as if Abba Father had left those night lights for me to give me reassurance of following His steps despite the darkness surrounding me in this life’s journey. Until I return and find that eternal comfort I always longed for.
"6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.” - Hebrews 4:6-7 (NLT)
Amen! Today, I can hear God's voice!
ReplyDeleteGood orders for all of us...quietly waiting resting and ceasing from complaining. I like the new bed!
ReplyDeleteGod is speaking. Love the new bed.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! Just as you realized what your child needed before he even asked you, God knows what we have need of before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:8) and answers our prayer before we even verbalize it!
ReplyDeleteI am blessed by your blog and will follow it, and I invite you to visit and consider following mine, Saved by Grace:
http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/
Ah, what Miss Laurie said above, I second. I was nice to step into your home and out of the work place. I love you.
ReplyDeleteWaiting some times is one of the most difficult things to do. I guess in heaven we will not have to worry about any "time." As time will not exist. How awesome is that? Awesome bed b-t-w. Blessings to you dear one.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful that your son is so humble and kind. I think he might be just like his mother. I pray that he will be feeling better soon. And the bed is very cute and much more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Debbie
What a great post! How sweet is your son that he wouldn't complain? Great lessons here.
ReplyDeleteHebrews 11:36-39. As you know this is the “heroes of Faith” chapter, but in these verses there is another group of people. They didn’t gain great victories out on the battlefield. They didn’t enter the arena of life before large audiences and perform great feats for God. These are the “others,” and they are the ones who, if you want heroes, are really God’s heroes.
ReplyDeleteNotice the contrast here. Back in verses 33 and 34 it speaks of victories which were “won”, it spoke of how they “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword.” How do we explain this? One group by faith escaped the edge of the sword, and another group by faith were slain with the sword.
My friend’s, if you can walk up and give your testimony and tell how God has healed you-and I will join you in that-or if you can get up and say how successful you have been……I want to remind you that there are multitudes of God’s saints today who are suffering. They are paying a tremendous price. Do you know how they are doing it? They are doing it “by faith.” They have lots more faith than I have.
What a precious post! What a lovely reminder of God's love!
ReplyDelete